Educational Initiatives

The Educational Initiatives developed by DICRC are specific activities for various groups of people ranging from design professionals, academicians, scholars, students, industry representatives, government and organisation personnel and others who have a deeper interest in Indian crafts. The initiatives could be a range of various activities customized as per the target audience or the activity. These initiatives are methods through which one can achieve a better understanding of the various aspects in the field of building crafts. Educational initiatives are important because many professionals,either designers or not, don’t posses a deeper understanding and meaning of the traditional and vernacular craft forms. Having researched upon various factors related to the lacuna in knowledge, solutions or activities have been devised for an effective output. The various methods within the educational initiatives are well thought in terms of the understanding it will pass on and have been formulated looking at the larger target audience who can benefit out of the initiatives.

The main aim of the educational initiatives is not only to generate awareness about craft but also to build long-term relationships with the craft community. These initiatives comprise of various interactive and knowledge-sharing sessions for people willing to learn in-depth about the building crafts. These sessions are organized in coordination with craft communities, academicians, scholars, entrepreneurs and professionals working with crafts. Seminars, lectures, field visits to various craft clusters or organizations, and knowledge sharing through exhibitions are integral components of this program. The core idea behind each educational session and activity is to evolve the most conducive platform for exchange of knowledge between and for craftspeople, designers, architects, professionals and students.

In today’s scenario there can be multiple factors affecting a particular craft, causing its downfall. There has been a decline in the level of interest towards various craft forms, due to various reasons. Whatever the reason be, there is always scope to achieve that level of interest back. This can be achieved through the means of effective and meaningful sharing of knowledge.

Apart from these reasons, the core idea behind educational initiatives is to bridge the gap between craft and design that is seen in the current scenario.Craft and Design understanding ought to go hand in hand. Education, in such a scenario can benefit design students and design professionals alike and create a link that will lead to the collaborative upliftment of the craft and design at many levels.
Moreover, education is also important because many craftspeople, who are skilled and have been practicing and learning a craft since generations, are rapidly moving away from it.This is due to the fact that various sections of the design fraternity or the larger society donot understand the embedded knowledge within the craft, thereby undervaluing the craft. Having researched upon such factors, solutions can emerge with effective education about the craft forms. Education will allow individuals to upgrade themselves in various fields related to craft design, technology, craft entrepreneurship and marketing, and use of building crafts withinthe domains of Interior Design and Architecture.
Education, as discussed, is crucial in the field of craft and design; the question is about delivering it in effective manner. Many a times individuals, organisations and institutes wish to learn about crafts, but do not know how. It is important to go through a proper procedure in order to actually impart knowledge through education. Hence, it needs to take various forms of knowledge distribution that have there own character and means of disseminating knowledge. Various educational initiatives need to come together to be a wholesome activity, at the end of which, all the peer groups involved would benefit from and gain tangible and intangible learning out of It.

DICRC’s educational initiative is one such method through which one can achieve a detailed understanding of building crafts and its various aspects. DICRC periodically conducts seminars and lectures with experts from across the world to bring about awareness about the craft sector. It further develops the multiple ways in which knowledge can be delivered and shared. These include craft awareness programmes, lectures, seminars, exhibitions etc. The initiatives may vary based on the most suitable mode of delivery. However it is important to note that these means of educational initiatives could be modified and experimented with to see what kind of outcome the end of it gains.